Military bunkers

One of the largest bunkers in Petržalka, B-S 4 was built on the edge of Pečniansky les in January 1937. It is the best-restored bunker in Slovakia, complete with original weapons. The museum inside takes visitors back to 1938, when Czechoslovakia was preparing to defend itself against Nazi Germany, and introduces them to the sophisticated operation and equipment of the fortifications. The infantry blockhouse B-S 4 Lány is one of the seven heavy structures of the Czechoslovak fortifications of 1936–38 that have survived on the Bratislava bridgehead. Together with 24 other bunkers, it was intended to form a fortified arc around Petržalka, protecting the bridgehead and the only bridge across the Danube for many miles around. One interesting feature of these large bunkers is that, despite their size, their concrete shells were completed in a relatively short time. B-S 4 itself, for example, was concreted in just seven days, from 14 to 21 January 1937. Because it stood on the edge of the forest and was more exposed than the preceding structures in the line, it was built to resistance class II, meaning a ceiling thickness of 200 cm and a front wall some 225 cm thick. The crew of this bunker consisted of 27 men. Facing the forest, the main armament of B-S 4 consisted of a pair of Model 37 heavy machine guns. On the left-hand side, however, the land opened out into fields, with Viedenská cesta, the main transport artery from Austria, running beyond them. On this side, in addition to the second pair of heavy machine guns, there was also a 47 mm Model 36 Škoda rapid-fire anti-tank gun, coupled with a Model 37 heavy machine gun. Bunker B-S 4 lies in the north-western part of Petržalka, on the edge of an old branch of the Danube bordering Pečniansky les. B-S 4 Lány (“Fields”) took its cover name from the strips of fields that ran from the forest towards Viedenská cesta. There is a car park in front of the Petržalka-Berg border crossing, from where the bunker can be reached easily. It is also easily accessible by bicycle, as the EuroVelo 6 international cycle route runs past it. Since 2011, Bunker B-S 4 Lány has been repaired and restored to its original condition by volunteers from the civic association Múzeum petržalského opevnenia (Petržalka Fortification Museum). Guided tours of the bunker take visitors through all the original weapons, as well as fitted-out accommodation areas, stores, a combat-gas filtration room, and a working engine room for generating electricity. The museum grounds include reconstructed anti-tank and anti-infantry obstacles, benches where visitors can rest, and regular cultural events. Today, it is fair to say that the museum in Bunker B-S 4 rivals the best fortification museums not only in the neighbouring Czech Republic, but across Europe.